Allianz Football League Division One round three: Galway v Tyrone (Sunday, Tuam Stadium, 1.45pm)
TYRONE have questions to answer as they head west for a clash with All-Ireland finalists Galway, the most pressing of which asks – have they really turned the corner following their win over Donegal?
The Red Hands have struggled for form and direction since winning Sam in 2021, and continued to search for the spark that could ignite their challenge.
There are signs of a return to form from the likes of Kieran McGeary, Padraig Hampsey, Brian Kennedy and Michael McKernan, allied to the impact of newcomers Niall Devlin and Cormac Quin, but cohesion and common purpose seem some way off.
First starts of the season for Darren McCurry and Frank Burns contributed to the bounce from an Ulster derby success a fortnight ago, and both are likely to be handed important roles at Tuam on Sunday.
Darragh Canavan also appears to be finding the balance between touch and vision that defines his exciting talent, and has the potential to decide a tight game.
Galway’s disappointing start to the campaign makes this tie a crucial one for them as they seek a first victory of the Division One campaign, having failed to win either of their Connacht derby ties.
They have just a single point on the board following a draw with Mayo and defeat to Roscommon, and are in danger of being drawn into a relegation battle.
An injury to Damien Comer has ruled the big frontman out for the remainder of the series, and the continued absence of Shane Walsh is a further worry. The ace attacker has not appeared for his county since winning the All-Ireland Club title with Kilmacud Crokes.
On the plus side, manager Padraic Joyce has welcomed Peter Cooke and Ian Burke back into his squad, two men who have been highly influential figures in the past.
But Tyrone joint manager Brian Dooher will not take the Connacht kingpins lightly.
“Galway were in an All-Ireland final last year, they're a great outfit with some exceptional footballers, and we’ll have our work cut out going down there,” he said.
Dooher wants to see his players build on the encouraging performance against Donegal in round two.
“There'll be plenty of learning from it, and putting that into practice at training and pushing on and getting ready for Galway.
“Every day we lose we aren't bad, somewhere in between is the reality. Whenever you lose you can get despondent and equally that's not the appropriate response either.
“It's getting the balance in between, you take the good from it, try to learn from it and take the learnings into next day.
“That's what we're about, trying to improve on ourselves each week. Everyone sees the scoreline and that's what matters but we're looking for the performance and everyone to give an honest effort in. Once you get that, that's as good as you can get.”
Tyrone’s record at Tuam offers scant comfort as they prepare to revisit a venue that has seldom sent travelling supporters home in buoyant mood.
A 19-point hammering was the outcome on the last occasion the Ulster side took on the Tribesmen there, back in 2020, the experience made all the more unpalatable by a serious ankle injury that kept attacker Cathal McShane out of action for a year.
But Galway have been unable to find continuity following last year’s Championship charge, with the loss of Kieran Molloy through injury and Liam Silke for travel reasons further depleting their resources, and this is an opportunity for Tyrone to lift the curse of a bogey ground.
